Senior Underwriter - Life and Health

About the role

A Senior Underwriter (Life and Health) is sought to lead complex underwriting decisions and support profitable portfolio growth across individual and/or group business. The role applies strong technical judgement, delivers consistent risk assessment and partners with distribution, claims and pricing teams to improve product performance and customer outcomes.

Key responsibilities

• Underwrite new business and renewals for life and health cases, including high sum assured and medically complex risks, within delegated authority and guidelines.
• Assess medical, financial, occupational and avocational risk factors and interpret medical evidence such as attending physician statements and lab results.
• Determine terms (standard, rated, exclusions, postponement or decline) and document the rationale for audit and governance.
• Provide technical guidance, coaching and peer review to underwriters, and support training and quality assurance.
• Manage broker and agent relationships and internal stakeholders to resolve requirements, negotiate terms and improve turnaround times.
• Contribute to underwriting philosophy, rules, manuals and automation initiatives such as rules engines and straight-through processing.
• Monitor portfolio experience, emerging risks and reinsurance trends and recommend improvements to appetite and controls.
• Liaise with reinsurers on facultative submissions, negotiations and treaty compliance.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, regulatory expectations and data privacy requirements.

Required profile

• Proven experience in life and health underwriting with exposure to complex casework.
• Strong knowledge of mortality and morbidity risk assessment, medical terminology and underwriting evidence requirements.
• Experience with reinsurance processes (facultative and treaty) and stakeholder management.
• Sound commercial judgement balancing risk, customer outcomes and profitability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, able to explain decisions to non-technical stakeholders.
• Attention to detail, strong documentation discipline and ability to work to service standards.
• Preferred: relevant professional insurance qualifications or progress towards them.

Required skills

• Comfortable using underwriting systems and Microsoft Office.
• Exposure to underwriting automation or digital initiatives is advantageous.
• Leadership mindset, mentoring others and influencing best practice.